Commencement Speakers

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Guarantee I won't remember her name in 10 years. Peggy O'Neal? Kind of upsetting to be honest, oh well, I'm graduating that's the important part.

[jficke13]

I got lucky with mine, Dick Enberg and Hank Aaron. Honestly would have skipped the 2nd one if Hammerin' Hank weren't the speaker.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

Could've been worse.  Two years ago it was Bill Cosby.

[Galway Eagle]

Could've been worse.  Two years ago it was Bill Cosby.

Avoiding him as my commencement speaker is the real reason I took a 5th year. 

But seriously I can't even remember who mine was last year. He was decently funny and a bit inspiring but overall I was hungover and exited to pop some streamers into the air.

[chapman]

Could've been worse.  Two years ago it was Bill Cosby.

Whoopsiedaisy

[GOO]

What do these speakers get paid anyway? I'm sure it varies by speaker, but I assume most don't speak for free... or do they?

[jsglow]

Avoiding him as my commencement speaker is the real reason I took a 5th year. 

But seriously I can't even remember who mine was last year. He was decently funny and a bit inspiring but overall I was hungover and exited to pop some streamers into the air.

Fr. James Martin, SJ.

One of the best in recent memory.  Don't be one bit surprised if he comes back to town for your 10th Reunion or something.

[Badgerhater]

List of speakers since 1980.    I was working on graduation day in 1998 so I did not hear Howard Fuller's speech.

http://wiki.muscoop.com/doku.php/commencement/start

Quite the wide range of individuals represented.

[keefe]

What do these speakers get paid anyway? I'm sure it varies by speaker, but I assume most don't speak for free... or do they?

They get paid and it is becoming a bit ridiculous.

Our daughter was graduated from Columbia - the only speaker they ever invite is the University President. I think that is the very best idea.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Interestingly my neighbor Yale handles speakers a little different.  They have Class Day the day before graduation and award the academic, artistic, and athletic prizes followed by an address by a notable speaker.  So there is no speaker on graduation day itself.

[Tugg Speedman]

Guarantee I won't remember her name in 10 years. Peggy O'Neal? Kind of upsetting to be honest, oh well, I'm graduating that's the important part.

What exactly is the complaint here?  Someone who might be the closest living person to Mother Teresa is going to speak on serious and meaningful issues and explain how she has dedicated her life to help the truly poor.  Are we afraid she will not have enough one-liners?

Prediction ... next year will be Republican Nominee Scott Walker.

[tower912]

William Rehnquist.   Famous name, boring-as-hell speaker. 

[keefe]

Prediction ... next year will be Republican Nominee Scott Walker.

About time that sonuvabitch got his degree from Marquette

[chapman]

Interestingly my neighbor Yale handles speakers a little different.  They have Class Day the day before graduation and award the academic, artistic, and athletic prizes followed by an address by a notable speaker.  So there is no speaker on graduation day itself.

That's not how they did it on Gilmore Girls.

 

[wildbillsb]

My son graduated from MU in '01.  Commencement headliner was the recently-retired Fred Rogers ("Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood") speaking to an audience who had grown up watching him on PBS.  We all were enthralled.

[Celtic Truth]

For you college hockey fans out there, my highschool graduation speaker was Jerry York who coaches at BC and he has the most wins in College Hockey history. He was fantastic, not an incredibly gifted public speaker but he was very sincere and had some good messages. It is also notable that he graduated from my alma martyr 50 years earlier.

[drewm88]

Prediction ... next year will be Republican Nominee Scott Walker.

No way.

[HouWarrior]

What do these speakers get paid anyway? I'm sure it varies by speaker, but I assume most don't speak for free... or do they?

University of Houston was in a recent controversy, by hiring actor Matthew McConaughey for its May commencement...but per his insistence, the amount was a non disclosure secret; the FOI request denied the info release.

The press storm continued, until he finally relented. He revealed he was getting $155k , plus travel expenses(with $20k of that going to his agents). Because of the large embarrassing sum, Matt decided to fix the bad press by donating his fee to a UH foundation. Ironic, too in that Matthew is actually a big UT fan, lacking any UH connection, except for the money.

So, I guess sometimes these fees are pretty high.

BTW, a few months back, the family of the late Robert Keeshan (TV's Captain Kangaroo) posted many of his personal effects on Ebay, including the honorary degree he got from Marquette...the winner got it for less than $300.

[keefe]

University of Houston was in a recent controversy, by hiring actor Matthew McConaughey for its May commencement...but per his insistence, the amount was a non disclosure secret; the FOI request denied the info release.

The press storm continued, until he finally relented. He revealed he was getting $155k , plus travel expenses(with $20k of that going to his agents). Because of the large embarrassing sum, Matt decided to fix the bad press by donating his fee to a UH foundation. Ironic, too in that Matthew is actually a big UT fan, lacking any UH connection, except for the money.

So, I guess sometimes these fees are pretty high.

BTW, a few months back, the family of the late Robert Keeshan (TV's Captain Kangaroo) posted many of his personal effects on Ebay, including the honorary degree he got from Marquette...the winner got it for less than $300.

How can a publicly funded institution justify giving that much money to an actor for a 15 minute speech? And let's face it: what does an entertainer really have to say that is worth an honorarium?

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/31192270/ns/business-us_business/t/lucrative-business-campus-speeches/#.VUCyoCFViko

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

That's not how they did it on Gilmore Girls.

 

I know the show took place in Connecticut.  Was it fictionally Yale also?

[chapman]

I know the show took place in Connecticut.  Was it fictionally Yale also?

Yep, in the last few seasons the daughter goes to Yale and a good amount of time is set on campus.

Found this description:
http://archives.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/03_09/gilmoregirls.html

[WarriorInNYC]

I attended the Enberg commencement speech, it was very well done.

My year was Wendy Kopp.  It was terrible.  Everything she has done with starting Teach for America and all is great.  But the whole speech was about Teach for America and she never even tried to rope it into graduating or furthering ourselves.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

For you college hockey fans out there, my highschool graduation speaker was Jerry York who coaches at BC and he has the most wins in College Hockey history. He was fantastic, not an incredibly gifted public speaker but he was very sincere and had some good messages. It is also notable that he graduated from my alma martyr 50 years earlier.

My high school graduation speaker was the then-FLOTUS Hillary Clinton.  Somewhere in my parents' basement is a picture of me, stoned out of my mind, shaking Hil's hand.

[slack00]

Guarantee I won't remember her name in 10 years. Peggy O'Neal? Kind of upsetting to be honest, oh well, I'm graduating that's the important part.

I remember the name of my speaker 10+ years ago.  Wayne Sanders said as part of his commencement speech that he and another trustee would donate $1M each if the nickname became the Warriors again.  His intentions were good, but it started the whole embarrasing "Gold" debacle.

[HouWarrior]

How can a publicly funded institution justify giving that much money

lol  Exactly my thought when I see some of the wasteful use of money by our military....also a publicly funded institution. lol

[LAZER]

Andrew Natsios was pretty boring.

[keefe]

lol  Exactly my thought when I see some of the wasteful use of money by our military....also a publicly funded institution. lol

On September 12, 2001 did you thank God that Matthew McConnaughey was ready to give a commencement address for $150K or did you take great comfort knowing there were barrel chested freedom fighters who make $40k a year ready to go halfway around the world to a hostile place to risk everything to protect you?

[HouWarrior]

On September 12, 2001 did you thank God that Matthew McConnaughey was ready to give a commencement address for $150K or did you take great comfort knowing there were barrel chested freedom fighters who make $40k a year ready to go halfway around the world to a hostile place to risk everything to protect you?

Interesting date to choose. On September 12, 2001 I was curious when my daughter said militarily dressed people came to her high school classroom to take a female student out of class. Later we learned that she was a member of an extended family named Bin Laden that were spirited out of the country in flights, the next day, arranged by Prince Bandar in September 12 meetings with President Bush. Today I think...how is it that the Saudi's have gotten a 15 year free pass on their 9/11 terrorist citizens who were financially supported by money traceable to others from there?

Keefe, I thought the irony funny as you have seen military excess first hand.Let's leave it right there, ... as I wasn't throwing down for an argument, in the least. The best way to stir one is make your false analogy.

 Here. .... The soldier going to war at $40k is to .....the teacher at $40k who trys to improve and mold young minds...both are people who earn  their pay and we are glad to support their jobs with our taxes.

McConnaughey's stupidly excessive fee (on which we agree) is to the...... take your pick of a military contracting theft/fraud incidents, funded by fed tax dollars...Houston's own dark hearts at KBR come to mind ( on this too, I think we should agree).

We minions of the world share a frustration when the larger than any one life tax supported institutions are able...often without consequence,.... to wildly blow money on stupid expenditures, and use our tax money to do so.

 The emotions we all shared on one scary day, over 13 years ago, however, don't excuse this point with foolish tax spending excesses. We have overspent on our 9/11 fears and emotions many times over. Whether its emotional tax waste by feds, or vanity/celebrity worship purchases of actors as commencement speakers, also with tax money...its all wasteful. One waste is not better or worse than another waste. On this too I suspect we agree.

Our difference is likely I laugh at both categories of tax waste( such coping is better than screaming or crying over the unresolvable)... whereas you were closer to  the one category. AND....Because I knew going in to my post that you were closer to the military category... my "lol" post was funny to me....but  neither kind, considerate, or funny to you. For that I am sorry. I apologize.

[keefe]

Interesting date to choose. On September 12, 2001 I was curious when my daughter said militarily dressed people came to her high school classroom to take a female student out of class. Later we learned that she was a member of an extended family named Bin Laden that were spirited out of the country in flights, the next day, arranged by Prince Bandar in September 12 meetings with President Bush. Today I think...how is it that the Saudi's have gotten a 15 year free pass on their 9/11 terrorist citizens who were financially supported by money traceable to others from there?

Keefe, I thought the irony funny as you have seen military excess first hand.Let's leave it right there, ... as I wasn't throwing down for an argument, in the least. The best way to stir one is make your false analogy.

 Here. .... The soldier going to war at $40k is to .....the teacher at $40k who trys to improve and mold young minds...both are people who earn  their pay and we are glad to support their jobs with our taxes.

McConnaughey's stupidly excessive fee (on which we agree) is to the...... take your pick of a military contracting theft/fraud incidents, funded by fed tax dollars...Houston's own dark hearts at KBR come to mind ( on this too, I think we should agree).

We minions of the world share a frustration when the larger than any one life tax supported institutions are able...often without consequence,.... to wildly blow money on stupid expenditures, and use our tax money to do so.

 The emotions we all shared on one scary day, over 13 years ago, however, don't excuse this point with foolish tax spending excesses. We have overspent on our 9/11 fears and emotions many times over. Whether its emotional tax waste by feds, or vanity/celebrity worship purchases of actors as commencement speakers, also with tax money...its all wasteful. One waste is not better or worse than another waste. On this too I suspect we agree.

Our difference is likely I laugh at both categories of tax waste( such coping is better than screaming or crying over the unresolvable)... whereas you were closer to  the one category. AND....Because I knew going in to my post that you were closer to the military category... my "lol" post was funny to me....but  neither kind, considerate, or funny to you. For that I am sorry. I apologize.

Don't get me stated on KBR...take about fraud, waste, and abuse...Dick Cheney should be ashamed. Problem with Cheney is that he knows he is wrong but really doesn't give a sh1t what anyone thinks

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

General concensus from the seniors I've talked to are pretty upset with the choice. Others don't care but the majority are not a fan. Let's face it. Everybody wants someone flashy

[keefe]

Keefe, I thought the irony funny as you have seen military excess first hand.Let's leave it right there,

As i ran around Lake Sammamish this morning your post caused me to reflect on the absurdities I have witnessed with defense spending. Defense contractors are justifiably called "Beltway Bandits" for a reason and there are tragic flaws in our procurement system. But, having said which, I would assert that we need to add in the phenomenal benefit we as a society have gotten in terms of the way we work-play, live-die from the huge investment made in defense R&D.

Most of my first hand experience had to do with the absurdity of defense accounting. At the end of every budget period we launched aircraft for no reason other than to burn up JP 8, often times dumping fuel just to get rid of it. No meaningful training was accomplished and combat effectiveness was not actually improved. We were fighting the 'Use it or Lose it' battle that occurs at the end of every budget cycle.

Meanwhile, as we wasted dollars on gas, LANTIRN pods sat on maintenance benches for want of spare parts. Brave men strapped on multi-million dollar aircraft and flew sub-optimized missions for want of an $18 widget. Rather than living the USAF motto of Fly, Fight, Win we were trying to Fly, Try, Survive.

In '04 I saw Army Joes in Iraq scavenging scrap metal, usually from blown to sh!t Hummers, to weld on  to their own inadequately armored gun trucks. Men were dying while Big Green was buying more M 1s.

I have watched in horror as Mother Blue has tried to finally kill the A 10 - the world's most effective Close Air Support platform ever - and replace it with the jack-of-all trades 35. As both a Hog Driver and a JTAC ALO i know that this will cost the lives of Joes and Marines. Having fought in the Storm, OIF, and OEF I know what works and what doesn't and I am sickened by this effort by the Air Force.

An interesting case study in weapons systems development is the USAF effort to replace the F 4. Initial efforts were coming up with scaled down clones of the F 111 (a horrible 'fighter' that threw every tech fad into the mix and came up with  a disaster...) Enter John Boyd who revolutionized fighter doctrine, tactics, employment, and development. Boyd developed mathematical models in the late '60's that led to the scrapping of all R&D efforts to date and led to the creation of the F 15 and F 16.

The USAF loved the F 15. The Eagle flew higher and faster than anything else in the world. It embodied the image the USAF wanted. The USAF didn't like the F 16. The Lawn Dart was small, "underpowered", and too inexpensive.

Both airframes used the same power plant; the Eagle used two vs the Lawn Dart's one. And while the Eagle went higher and faster, Boyd's model demonstrated that those were not dog fighting differentiators. Instead, Boyd proved that the Lawn Dart's ability to  accelerate faster, fly farther, loiter longer, carry a higher per sortie ordnance strike package, and turn tighter faster than the more glamorous Eagle were significant war fighting advantages in air-air combat. So in actual combat edge, the cheap, light weight, 'underpowered', single seat Lawn Dart was the superior weapons system.

I remember when I was assigned F 16s out of UPT, my Eagle Driver father commenced with the sh1t talking almost immediately. But during the Storm, when Hogs and Lawn Darts were tearing it up in the Sandbox while Eagle Drivers were back home collecting paychecks, there wasn't a single F 15 puke who would not have given his left testicle to be flying an F 16 or A 10.

Even today, the F 15 remains the wrong airframe, for the wrong war, for the wrong time. And yet, rather than nuke the Glamorous Eagle, Mother Blue wants to kill of the cheap. reliable, dependable, and brutally effective Warthog.

Do I see irony in the lunacy of defense spending? No, actually, I see tragedy. Young men and women will pay for these mistakes in blood - theirs. Not the blood of Congressmen (or any of their children), Defense Contractors, KBR execs, or Chicken Hawks inside the Beltway.

[keefe]

By the way, the USAF didn't want the F 16. Congress made them take it because it was being sold to NATO allies and they needed the US to have it in its inventory.

The F 16 is the first and last air superiority fighter to cost less than both its predecessor and its successor.

[real chili 83]

University of Houston was in a recent controversy, by hiring actor Matthew McConaughey for its May commencement...but per his insistence, the amount was a non disclosure secret; the FOI request denied the info release.

The press storm continued, until he finally relented. He revealed he was getting $155k , plus travel expenses(with $20k of that going to his agents). Because of the large embarrassing sum, Matt decided to fix the bad press by donating his fee to a UH foundation. Ironic, too in that Matthew is actually a big UT fan, lacking any UH connection, except for the money.

So, I

BTW, a few months back, the family of the late Robert Keeshan (TV's Captain Kangaroo) posted many of his personal effects on Ebay, including the honorary degree he got from Marquette...the winner got it for less than $300.

NM

[HouWarrior]

NM

NM?
New Mexico
Nano Meter
Never Mind
??

[4everwarriors]

Numb Member, hey?

[keefe]

Numb Member, hey?

No Meat, a ina hey?

[real chili 83]

No mas.

No muff

Nifty mustang

Need mustard

Nice muskie

New money

[4everwarriors]

Nieman Marcus, ai na?

[Ohbie]

My year was Wendy Kopp.  It was terrible.  Everything she has done with starting Teach for America and all is great.  But the whole speech was about Teach for America and she never even tried to rope it into graduating or furthering ourselves.

Couldn't agree more. It was one of the most boring and self-serving speeches I've ever heard. I remember going to lunch with my family and we all couldn't believe how terrible the speech was.

[Mutaman]

William Rehnquist.   Famous name, boring-as-hell speaker. 

Not much of a judge either.

[radome]

I can't remember the speaker but I recall Captain Kangaroo getting an honorary degree ... many ping pong balls (I had to look up the speaker, MU alum, director of Peace Corps). A shame, it might have been OK but ... well, you know.

[keefe]

I can't remember the speaker but I recall Captain Kangaroo getting an honorary degree ... many ping pong balls (I had to look up the speaker, MU alum, director of Peace Corps). A shame, it might have been OK but ... well, you know.

Marquette had two Peace Corps Directors speak at Commencement - Elaine Chao and Loret Ruppe. Ruppe was graduated from Marquette. Our daughter was involved in a sustainable food program for Africa that was started by Ruppe and funded in part by the Gates Foundation. 

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Peggy was really boring. Way too much talk about God for my liking.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Barbara Bush was fine and I think only 15% of libs turned their back on her....which was progress.